For Survival
by ivyandtwine
Summary: "They're dinosaurs. Wow enough." Jurassic World AU


_A/N: I just adored this movie, and the JP franchise, and after I saw JW, I was just loving the idea of Kate as a raptor trainer. So that's where this came from, just me wanting to put C/B in some of my favourite scenes in the movie, nothing too serious. You probably don't have to have seen the movie to read this, but you should anyway cause it's excellent, and way better than I can do justice in a one shot :)_

* * *

"You just went and _made_ a new dinosaur?" Kate asks, staring up at Richard Castle as he stands on the balcony of her secluded bungalow while she works on her motorbike in the backyard. He's come here, going all corporate on her, suited up as he tries to dazzle her with the new genetically developed flashy dinosaur the science labs have cooked up.

"Uh, yeah it's kinda what we do here," he explains, as she purses her lips. "The exhibit opens to the public in three weeks. I've been asked to consult with you." He grins down at her.

Consult. She huffs. She can't stand the way they run the place here, living animals merely attractions designed to bring in more money, greedy corporations forcing the scientists to always go one step further. There were _animals_ for Christ's sake.

"We want you to evaluate the paddock for vulnerabilities," he continues, flashing her a smile that does _not_ make her insides flare with heat. Definitely not.

"Why me?"

"They think because you can control the raptors-"

"See, it's all about control with you. I don't control the raptors, Rick, it's a relationship. Based on mutual respect." She pauses. "That's why you and I never had a second date."

Oh, it's a little harsh, but she can't help adding the jab at him. Their date was… a mistake. They come from different worlds, she's a dinosaur trainer and he's…

He's too high up, too caught up in the business world, worrying about money and deadlines.

Still, she can't help the attraction to him, the desire to flirt a little, the teasing and banter coming naturally. But it would never last between them.

"Excuse me, I never _wanted_ a second date," he argues, his voice just a little higher than before. "Who turns up to a date still covered in dirt?"

"There was a problem with the raptors and-" She purses her lips. "You know what? I'm not getting into this again."

"Fine," he agrees, but his lips turn up as his eyes flick over her body and she can't help the racing of her pulse. _Damn him_.

"Let's get back to the asset," he continues, straightening up and glancing down at his tablet.

She practically growls. "The 'asset'? Look, I get it, you have a tough job, and it's probably easier to pretend these animals are numbers on a spreadsheet. But they aren't okay? They are _alive_."

Why can't these people get it through their thick skulls that they've created actual life?

Shaking her head, she clenches her fists and leaves her motorbike, agreeing following Castle to his car despite her frustration, so he can show her the latest 'attraction'.

* * *

Castle is rambling about ticket sales as they walk up the stairs into the new enclosure's viewing room, all decked out with fancy computers and a large glass window to glimpse into the dinosaur's life. She has to roll her eyes at his enthusiasm, as he talks about invigorating the public, no doubt the line that has been fed to all the workers. It's annoying, but… cute, and she purses her lips to stop them from curling up.

"Corporate felt genetic modification would up the wow factor," he explains, his eyes lighting up as they reach the glass separating them from the dinosaur.

"They're dinosaurs. Wow enough."

Castle smiles. "Yeah, well not according to our focus groups. The Indominus rex makes us relevant again."

She laughs. What kind of name is that? "The Indominus rex." She turns to him, eyebrows raised as she smirks.

He shares her laugh, the sound creeping down her spine and lingering in her body, and she finds herself chewing at her bottom lip as she stares him down.

"It's scary and easy to pronounce. You should hear a four year old try to say _Archaeornithomimus._ " He shrugs.

"You should hear you try to say it," she teases, walking across the room, peering around the window.

"Castle?" she asks, and hears him hum in reply. "Where is this Indominus rex?"

"Uh. She was just here this morning."

He sounds worried.

Castle turns to the security guy and gets him to scan the cameras, as Kate studies the enclosure as close as she can, her years of dinosaur training kicking into gear.

"Shit."

She flicks her head to him. "What?"

But the monitors answer her question when _No Thermal Signature_ is displayed in bright red letters. Her jaw drops. Castle looks scared, panic flashing through his eyes, and she turns back to enclosure, heart pounding, and focuses in on something she thought she got a glimpse of before.

"Castle?" He walks over to her, hovers close as he follows her line of sight. "Were those scratch marks there this morning?"

…

Kate runs, _sprints_ , to the door of the enclosure, the Indominus rex hot on her heels. Of course they genetically engineered a dinosaur that could somehow emit zero thermal signals, and _of course_ she had been gullible enough to believe it and go investigate in the enclosure. Her chest is burning, lungs gasping for air but she can't stop, the door is closing and she can't be trapped in here. Won't suffer the fate of the two victims already claimed by the dinosaur.

She makes it out - just - but the door closes too late and the I-rex smashes through the tiny opening.

She darts behind a car, rolls under it to hide, can barely hear through the sound of her pulse hammering in her skull. She strains to listen, to focus, as she hears the creature devour another employee.

Fuck, she's going to die here. She squeezes her eyes shut and tries to stop her hands from shaking. The dinosaur sniffs, shuffles around the car, and she opens her eyes wide as it hits her.

Smell.

She reaches up, grabs the tube under the car that she knows is connected to the gas tank and holds her breath and shuts her eyes once more as the liquid spills over her body. The fumes almost suffocate her, and she lies there, frozen, hoping that it's enough to deter the animal.

The I-rex sniffs a few more times and then, to her enormous relief, leaves. She releases her breath, and her whole body loosens as she hears the heavy steps of the dinosaur headed in another direction. It's okay, she's okay.

She rolls out from under the car, standing up to lean against it as she steadies herself, her hands on her knees as her lungs scramble for oxygen. But the panic comes rushing back as she realizes that they now have an engineered killing machine on the loose.

The sound of a fast approaching car grabs her attention and she sees Castle come zooming in in his car - having left her to alert headquarters and track the I-rex, no doubt having discovered that it was still in the enclosure all along. Armed forces follow him, decked out with protective gear and powerful guns.

"Kate, are you okay?" He runs up to her once the car has stopped, and for a moment she doesn't speak, just stares up at him as he flicks his eyes over her face and body, checking for any signs of injury. It's… sweet.

"Yeah- I- I'm fine," she assures, regaining her speech as she steps back, because his gaze is prickling her skin and there are _way_ more urgent matters happening than her swirling mess of feelings for him.

She exhales, gives him a strained smile, her heart relaxing as he returns it. She allows herself a moment, before she locks her mind into place and they are back to figuring out what the _hell_ they are going to do.

* * *

They've split up, again, Kate's back at the raptor cage having to deal with the idiot guy wanting to turn them into war machines, and Castle's gone to headquarters to track the I-rex.

She has to soothe the raptors, they aren't happy to be clamped in their muzzles. She runs her fingers over Blue's head as she talks to her, calming her down and watching as she relaxes with her voice. She loves the raptors, more than she ever thought she would, and raising them from when they were young has formed an incredible bond, majority of the time they will trust and listen to her. Incidents like this morning, with the new keeper almost being eaten, allow their natural instincts to take over, which is why she's _so_ against turning them into a weapon.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket, Castle's name flashing on the screen, and she leaves Esposito in charge as she exits the cage to answer the phone.

"Hey, how's the-"

"Kate, Alexis is missing."

Her heart stops. His daughter lives with him on the island, she's met her a few times, and the relationship Castle has with her is one of the main things that attracted her to him initially. She's only twelve - a mature twelve year old - but still young. Castle lets her roam the main areas of the park by herself though; growing up here she knows it well. Kate listens, her unoccupied hand clenching and releasing as he explains that Alexis had a friend fly in for the week and was showing her around, and now she's not answering her phone.

"Kate she said she was on the Gyrosphere tour, that's where the I-rex is closest to!" She can hear the fear and panic lacing his voice and her heart clenches for him.

"Kate. You have to help," he wavers, more serious than she's ever heard.

She doesn't even hesitate. "Of course, Castle. Bring a car down to the raptor cage and we'll go from there."

"Yeah. Okay. Meet you there." He sounds defeated already and _no_ she can't have that, can't having him mourning his daughter before they know anything. She aches to soothe his worries.

"Castle. It's going to be okay."

She's just met with the dial tone.

* * *

The relief washes through Castle's face as they come to the conclusion that the girls are still alive, luck and smarts helping them escape the Indominus rex. A weight is lifted off her too, her concern for Castle twisting its way into her bloodstream, and she delights in the way he relaxes with the news.

They stand on the edge of the beautiful waterfall, surveying the vast jungle, Castle taking heavy breaths as Kate plans her next moves.

"Okay, you need to head back, I'll take it from here," she says, her breath still uneven from their sprint. She pushes back the strands of hair plastered to her face with sweat as she watches his face dart to hers.

"What? No!" he exclaims, total confusion lacing his features. "I am _not_ leaving you alone."

She huffs. "Yeah, cause you're gonna be _so_ helpful in your fancy suit and Armani shoes. You'll last two minutes out there!" she says, as she waves her hand over his suave outfit. As… attractive as he may be in it - a thought she dismisses quickly - it's useless for what they need to do.

He narrows his brow, squints his eyes, staring her down.

She stares back, a little confused and flustered under his unwavering gaze, but she folds her arms, challenges him to argue back.

His eyes turn to a look of determination, and he unfolds his arms and shakes off his expensive suit jacket, throwing it on the ground carelessly. He untucks his crisp blue shirt from his pants, loosens his silk tie and releases it in the same direction in his jacket. He finishes with undoing the top three buttons of his shirt, the skin of his chest peeking through, and rolling up his sleeves to display his forearms.

He places his hands on his hips, swelling his chest and her jaw unhinges. Ignoring the heat that pools in her gut she blinks a few times.

Well.

That's… something.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she questions, making sure her voice is even as she releases her breath, and when exactly did she start holding it?

"I'm ready to go," he states, as if it's the most obvious thing, as he gestures down at his new outfit.

"Well… okay then," she agrees on a nod, sucking in a deep breath, letting the oxygen flow to her limbs to cool her down. If he wants to track an out of control dinosaur with her, then she can't stop him.

She roams her eyes over his new look, refrains from biting her lip. The suit was charming but this is… hot. The rolled up sleeves are totally doing it for her and her stomach flips at the flex of his forearms.

He must notice because he grins, doesn't sway in his eye contact and he holds his head a little higher.

She sighs. Now is _not_ the time.

"Let's go."

* * *

The flying Dimorphodons and Pterodactyls swarm the main section of the theme park, wreaking havoc, people screaming, running, getting _attacked._ The dinosaurs swoop and soar, majestic and beautiful even, if they weren't targeting the humans, causing injuries, deaths. Kate, along with members of the defence team, try to take down as many animals as she can with her rifle, scanning the area for the shots she can take.

Her heart pounds, adrenaline coursing through her veins from the day's events, trying so hard to stop any more deaths from happening. She's failing though, her gut sinking and churning every time she spots a person being mauled by sharp teeth, or lifted from the ground by large talons. She can't help but blame herself, guilt clawing at her with every death. She should have tried harder earlier, wormed her way into the system and figured out what was happening ahead of time. The loud explosions from the guns rattle in her ear as she darts her head to find her next target, when she spots him.

Castle - the idiot - is standing on a table calling for Alexis and her friend. She can't exactly fault him, it's his _daughter_ , and he was the one who let them tour the park by themselves, too busy with his job to spend the day with them. But he needs to get down from there before he becomes another fatality in the long line of flying dinosaur victims. She blinks, her heart constricting at the thought of his death, stomach twisting as her brain flashes her images of his lifeless body, torn apart by rogue dinosaurs.

 _No._

"Castle!" she yells, scrambling, trying to get closer, calls to him to tell him to move, to get down. She needs him to survive this, her chest burning with fear, adrenaline, as she calls for him.

She runs forward, dodging and weaving through the frantic tourists, but is halted with a gasp when a Dimorphodon latches onto the gun strapped to her back and pushes her flat on her face.

She cries out, limbs scrambling to move away, but gets forced to the ground again, _hard._ She grunts, he chin scraping the ground as her body pounds with pain and fear, panic rushing through her like a freight train. The dinosaur claws dig into her, sharp and piercing as she attempts to maneuver herself out of its grip, her body contracting away from the force of the talons. Her body screams, and panic rushes through her, her bones shaking as she fears she might not make it.

Flipping herself, she pushes her reach up to grip the animal's scaly neck, forcing the strong jaw and sharp teeth away from her face. But the genetically developed creature is strong and she won't last, muscles straining and trembling as she pushes hard.

Claws rip at her stomach, shredding her shirt and searing her skin and she cries out again. The stinging pain and the wetness of blood across her skin draws her attention away from the neck for a second as she surveys the damage. She's not unaccustomed to pain, raising the four raptors resulted in a lot of mishaps and accidental attacks while she wormed her way into their hearts. Scars litter her body, memories of times when Blue decided she didn't like the way Kate threw their meal, or Delta just wasn't in the mood to get talked to that day.

She weakens her grip accidentally when she looks down, and realizes her mistake a second too late when the creature draws back out of her clutch to take a bite out of her neck.

The thudding sound is the only warning she has before the weight is lifted and there is no dinosaur about to rip off her face.

She looks up, her heart hammering, waves of relief crashing over her. Castle is there, with a gun, one that he apparently just used to knock out and shoot the animal.

Thank _God_.

He holds his hand out and she takes it, his smooth hand warm and soothing against her calloused, trembling one. Standing up as she pants, her pulse thudding in her ears, she grips his hand, anchoring herself as her body tingles from the touch. She's a little bit numb from the pain, can't focus too hard on it otherwise it'll worsen, but she's okay, she'll be okay.

She releases his hand but stays close as she studies his wide eyes, laced with worry for her, his hand hovering over her injury. His face is marred with dirt, his shirt a little ripped and hair ruffled, all too enticing to run her fingers through.

She kisses him.

Rising on her toes, she grabs his collar and presses her lips hard to his, and her heart sings from the taste and feel of him. He jolts in shock, but quickly pushes back hard and grips his hand on her hip, strong and grounding. She shivers, her heart rattling in her chest for an entirely different reason than before. She opens against him, the taste of dirt and _him_ making her release a moan.

It's hot, a little needy, her whole body is on fire as he runs his fingers through her hair. It's soothing, a distraction from the pain and chaos, and shit, she can't get distracted because there's _dinosaurs._

"Dad?"

She jumps back, brushing her thumb over her lip and turns to find Castle's daughter and her friend staring at them.

"Alexis! Rachel!" Castle runs to them, showing no embarrassment for them finding him kissing a relative stranger, just ridiculously relieved they're okay.

She watches, her heart swelling as he hugs them both. Her lips still tingle as she darts her tongue out to savor the taste of him, takes a moment to relish it before she's back in dinosaur hunting mode. He calls Kate over to give introductions, which are cut short by a close swoop of a dinosaur, and the pressing need to get out of this situation immediately.

They run, following Castle as he leads them to a employees only area with an abandoned jeep, keys still in the ignition, and they rush in, to figure out what the next step will be.

The girls climb in the back of the car, leaning forward as Kate brings up the map on her iPad, any romantic thoughts pushed to the back of her brain as she plans what to do next. Castle turns around, checking Alexis and Rachel for injuries, making sure they're okay.

They are so lucky to be alive, lucky Alexis knows the place, and has smarts to her. They could have easily been victims, dead without a care from the dinosaur. Her stomach churns, and she glances to Castle, soaking up his relief to ease her worried thoughts as the twitch in her heart softens.

She hears Alexis speak up, louder than she was when conversing with her dad. "Can we stay with you?"

"I am never leaving you again, ever," Castle rushes out.

"No. No, her. We mean her," both girls quickly correct.

Kate stifles a laugh. Castle huffs and mutters an agreement, and she turns and grins at the girls, hoping she puts them a little at ease.

She reaches over, squeezes his forearm and his eyes dart to hers. She attempts to project comfort, reassurance, wants him to know that she'll do her best to solve this thing.

"Let's do this."

* * *

Castle sits in the van, restless and agitated, watching the video feed on the tablet with his heart in his throat. Kate, Esposito and the other armed forces speed through the dense jungle on their motorbikes, following the raptors as they track the scent of the Indominus rex.

He aches to help, doesn't want to leave her, even though he knows she can handle herself, and he would be useless, having no actual training.

But he's staying with the girls, can't leave them alone, and he's content to play lookout while the woman he's falling a bit more in love with every second goes off and fights the bad guy.

He's told the girls to stay in the back, keep down, and don't watch, but they're not listening, their heads peeking through the window as they follow the action with him.

"Your girlfriend's a badass," Alexis pipes up, as Kate controls the motorbike with extreme precision, her four raptors riding along beside her. He should scold for the language, but instead he finds his lips turning up as his blood heats and hums with desire.

But his momentary enjoyment is squashed as he watches them face the I-rex, and instead of the raptors attacking like they'd expected, they stop, all the dinosaurs still as they stare at each other.

They're… communicating?

Oh no.

It hits him then.

The Indominus rex is part T-rex, part raptor, and how on earth did he not realize that before?

Kate seems to clue in as well, yelling a warning before preparing to run.

And then it's… chaos.

* * *

The four of them run out of the ruined genetics lab and onto the main street, Kate in front with Castle and the girls in tow.

Kate wrings her brain to wrap her head around what their plan will be next, but she comes to a jarring halt when Blue come across their path and runs up to them.

The raptor looks… confused, and hope flares in Kate's gut that she can bring her back, onto their side and not with the I-rex. She holds her hand up, a move she's performed countless times, signalling to Blue that it's okay, that she won't harm her. She walks closer to the dinosaur, studies her eyes, notices the pricks of recognition and what she's come to know as fondness. Her hand reaches out to stroke her head, Blue jolts but doesn't act any further, so she takes the opportunity to unfasten the camera and locator strapped to her.

That does it.

She can see Blue's eyes as she throws the harness away, trusting again, and she's rewarded with a gentle nudge to her hand. Relief washes through her - at least there's only one dinosaur to worry about now.

The dinosaur that comes roaring across the ground at that moment, clicking her into gear as she reaches for her gun.

Blue darts away, jumps and pounces on the Indominus rex and latches on as much as she can. It's barely a match for the genetically advanced I-rex but it helps and Kate does her part with her gun.

Castle and the girls are hidden, she hopes, she saw them run off to what she thinks is the gift shop.

The battle goes on, Kate and Blue attempting to thwart off the I-rex's advances but Blue is getting hurt, every bite to her raptor killing her a little inside. She's barely able to dodge the attacks, almost every shelter around them is being crushed.

Her focus is drawn away by pounding footsteps _not_ made by the dinosaur she's currently fighting.

She flicks her head to the sound, and-

 _Holy shit._

Castle is running, a flare in his hand, and a _Tyrannosaurus rex_ following him.

He is either the smartest or the most stupid man she has ever met.

He throws the flare at the I-rex and Kate jumps up, her pulse thundering in her ears, and runs to the girls to serve as any protection and comfort as she can.

The T-rex begins fighting the I-rex, and she finally thinks - _hopes_ \- this could be over soon.

Castle is still out there, crouching on the floor, exposed, and her heart pounds against her ribs, willing him to be okay, to move out of the way.

But the dinosaurs keep fighting, and travelling as they do so, and her eyes meet Castle's as they both realize that he's no longer the one in the dinosaur's path.

"Run!" he screams. And they do.

Their legs move fast as she pulls the girls out of their shelter, just in time before it collapses from the weight of two dinosaurs and their destructive path.

They run to Castle, and all of them get out of the way fast as they continue to watch the battle of the rexes. Her blood is pounding, she's grasping Castle's hand so tight, his pulse hammering alongside hers. He circles his thumb over the back of her hand, firm and even, her skin tingling despite the raging fight in front of them.

When the T-rex manages to get the I-rex hanging over the body of water in the middle of the park, she holds her breath because, oh god, _please_.

They all gasp as the Mesosaurus emerges from the lake, majestic and powerful, and in one clamp of its jaws, clutches on to the Indominus rex and drags it under the water.

It's over.

* * *

Alexis stays with her friend's parents as Castle and Kate head off to do damage control. She knows they should split up soon, Castle needed for the business side of things, while she'll have to help with the dinosaur portion. But she aches to leave him, their brief kiss still lingering in the back of her mind, and the adrenaline of defeating a killer dinosaur not worn off.

Life or death situations seem to form a bond that is like no other.

They reach the door of the shelter, the sun shining as they step outside. Castle turns to her, all smiles and warmth, spreading heat like the crackle of a roaring fire to her extremities. She gives him a smile back, waits for him to talk, happy to bask in their triumphs in silence.

"So. What do we do now?" he asks, his voice eliciting a shiver down her spine.

Her smile stretches wide and she reaches for his hand, laces their fingers as their palms kiss. Her heart is beating fast, a little panicked, but she pulls him close and rests her head on his shoulder.

"Probably stay together," she hums, turning her face into his arm as she dusts her lips to his bicep. "For survival."

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you Lou for the quick beta, and Nen, Maribea and Moana for reading it and sharing their enthusiasm :) A huge thanks to Nadia for the cover art, you amaze me every time._

 _tumblr: ivyandtwines  
twitter: alexmack23_


End file.
